Mechanical resonant systems such as resonant acoustic mixers may include an actuator in the form of a voice coil to drive/operate the system. Typically, the voice coil actuator includes a bobbin and a voice coil winding coupled to (or integrated with) the bobbin. In most mechanical resonant systems, the bobbin is made from a conductive material having a high material strength such as metal (e.g., aluminum, steel, etc.) to withstand the mechanical forces associated with a resonant system. Furthermore, metal bobbins are advantageous because they can dissipate heat effectively due to their high thermal conductivity.
In some applications such as audio speakers, voice coil actuators may include a bobbin made from a non-conductive material such as plastic (e.g., Kapton, etc.). However, voice coil actuators for audio speakers are generally subjected to low mechanical forces, unlike actuators in mechanical resonant systems, which are generally subjected to high mechanical forces. Thus, in a mechanical resonant system, a plastic speaker bobbin cannot withstand the high mechanical forces due to its low material strength. Furthermore, plastic speaker bobbins cannot withstand high temperatures and generally have a low thermal conductivity, making them difficult to cool in high temperature environments, such as in a mechanical resonant system.